This invention is directed to body grip style traps and foothold style traps for trapping animals such as muskrats; and, more particularly to a trap clip for use with such traps to hold a trap in an upright position when the trap is set.
A body grip type trap for catching animals such as muskrats, beavers, and similar animals is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,713 B2. As disclosed in this patent, body grip traps include a set of jaws which are biased to an open position. When the trap is sprung, a trigger releases the jaws which close on the animal and entrap it.
A problem with such traps is that they are bulky, and because of this a support used to hold it in place cannot be adjusted. Rather, the trap must be tethered to some object so it is supported in an upright position on the ground. This is done to prevent loss of the trap.
A wire form has been used as a clip for a body grip trap for purposes of supporting the trap. However, these forms are usually not durable and also can easily be deformed so as to not be usable for their intended purpose. Also, even with these forms, the trap must still be tethered to another object. Further, such wire forms are solely for use on the ground, not in water, and also lack adjustability.
Other trap supports which are made of steel are heavy and bulky, and also lack adjustability.
Another type trap is a foothold style trap. These are stamped devices which require screws to hold them in place. Clips for these type traps also lack adjustability and further prevent the trap from being freed from its restraint after an animal is caught in it.
Yet another type trap that was used for quite some time was constructed using a series of nuts welded together. This trap had two (2) legs that went through coils of the trap and a trap holder was bolted onto a pole. The trap was difficult to construct because numerous pieces had to be welded together. Another problem with this trap was that it would frequently be dislodged (fall off) the holder. Still another problem was that the bolt would rust tight.